150 Years Later: The Story of Tea – campaign recap

In August 2017, we celebrated 150 years of tea production in Sri Lanka. While there was much reported in the media around celebratory events by tea producers, distributors, and the hospitality industry, and the future of Ceylon tea, there was little to no mention whatsoever of the tea plantation workers without whose contribution the industry would not exist.

With the objective of creating more visibility and awareness and to ensure that key narratives do not remain invisible during this significant anniversary, CPA’s civic media output – by way of Groundviews, Vikalpa and Maatram – were anchored to key issues facing the tea plantation workers to coincide with the 150-year anniversary celebrations, as it is important to consider issues faced by the workers who sustain the industry. The output focused on the change (or lack thereof) in the lives of the workers 150 years since the start of the industry, including a plethora of issues faced by them and their families, challenges for the future, areas for reform and strengthening rights. Content is in all three languages, through short-form video, photography, long-form journalism and other interactive media, and has been compiled below.